5 Players You’ll Want Off Week 5 Waivers: Future Fantasy Football!

Life is about to get crazy again, as you have to dump your sleeper running back to pick up a kicker that’s not on a bye week, or you have to dump your best defense to find a replacement that’s not resting.

We do some of the dirty work for you, finding five players we think you and your fellow Fantasy owners will want next Tuesday. But you’re going to know about them NOW, so you can pick them up before waivers lock.

The Packers took care of the Bears Thursday night, which means any and all of their available Fantasy free agents are locked in already and won’t be available for pickup until Tuesday’s waivers run. But all other players not owned in your league are free agents!

There are four NFL teams on byes in Week 5 – the Broncos, Falcons, Redskins and Saints. So we’ll be looking for replacements for those kickers and defenses, and we won’t be recommending players from those teams. Also, don’t forget that the Buccaneers and Patriots play Thursday night, which means a quick turnaround for those teams after their Sunday games.

5 Fantasy Football Players We’ll Want Off Week 5 Waivers

We’re only going to list the players that are still available, before Week 4’s games, in 70 percent or more Fantasy Football leagues on CBSSports.com.

DeShone Kizer, QB, Cleveland Browns (Owned in 21% of Leagues)

Rookie quarterbacks are not usually what one wants to rely on in Fantasy play, but if you have to, like if you had to sit Matt Ryan, Drew Brees or Kirk Cousins, then get a running rookie QB. When the plays break down (and they will), a running rookie QB will be off to the races because that’s what his instincts tell him.

Kizer has rushed for a touchdown in two of three games so far, and he threw the ball 47 times in Week 3 at Indianapolis. The Jets come to the Dawg Pound in Week 5, and they are below average against Fantasy QBs.

Photo Credit: AP Images/Darron Cummings

Branden Oliver, RB, L.A. Chargers (Owned in 17% of Leagues)

Understand that there just aren’t good running backs available in 30 percent of leagues or more. So you have to take a leap of faith on someone, like Oliver. He hasn’t been special this year, but with Melvin Gordon nursing a knee injury, Oliver could find himself atop the depth chart by Week 5 if the Wisconsin product hurts himself further in Week 4.

The Chargers play at the Giants in Week 5, and NFL offenses are attacking the G-Men on the ground so far, as no team has had more rushing attempts against them. They’re giving up a hefty 4.34 yards per carry, too.

Photo Credit: AP Images/Mark J. Terril

Robby Anderson, WR, N.Y. Jets (Owned in 20% of Leagues)

The second-year wide receiver out of Temple is coming off a big game against Miami (6 catches, 95 yards and a TD catch), but the Jets are about to face a stingy Jaguars defense that ranks as the toughest so far against Fantasy WRs. But in Week 5, the Jets fly to Cleveland, which just haven’t been thrown a lot on this year. The Steelers, Ravens and Colts averaged 15.33 targets per game to wide receivers so far against the Browns.

If Anderson is going to be the main target in the Jets’ passing offense, he should see six-to-eight targets per game going forward. Right now, Anderson is seeing more targets from Josh McCown than Jermaine Kearse.

Photo Credit: AP Images/Seth Wenig

Greg Zuerlein, K, L.A. Rams (Owned in 26% of Leagues)

Got room to carry an extra kicker a couple weeks? With Matt Bryant, Dustin Hopkins, Will Lutz and Brandon McManus all resting in Week 5, there will be AT LEAST those four owners looking to replace their kicker in your league. Beat them to the punch by picking up Greg the Leg!

Zuerlein is perfect on all of his kicks thus far, including seven field goals and 12 extra points! He’ll face the Seahawks in Los Angeles in Week 5, and Seattle has allowed more Fantasy points to kickers than all but two teams!

Photo Credit: AP Images/Jae Hong

Buffalo Bills Defense/Special Teams (Owned in 15% of Leagues)

Broncos defense owners are going to be missing their Orange Crush in Week 5, but if they’re smart, they’ll pick up the Bills DST this week and hold onto them for next week. The Bills defense has actually played really well so far, which makes their 15-percent ownership a little perplexing. There are just six other DSTs that have outscored them in ESPN scoring, and they have yet to allow more than 16 points in a game. They don’t force a ton of turnovers, but they do have nine sacks in their past two games!

In Week 5, the Bills DST faces a Bengals offense that’s still trying to figure things out under a new offensive coordinator. The Bengals offense has allowed the third-most Fantasy points to defenses this season.